Is it our imagination or are spiders getting bigger?

It’s true that some spiders respond positively to the changes that we make to the environment. Warming temperatures in particular are likely to benefit the growth and development of spiders. We may also see larger spiders in areas like cities where there is lots of food for them, just like you see fat pigeons living off food waste.

There is a limit as to how big insects and spiders are able to get because they breathe through small holes in their exoskeleton where the oxygen goes straight to their muscles. Also, as spiders get bigger they become more obvious to predators and have more difficulty building their webs. So we don’t need to worry about being overrun with giant spiders any time soon.

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Is there anything good about that spider in the corner of my room?

There are many advantages to having spiders around, and very few disadvantages! Having spiders around the home will help control pests such as flies, cockroaches and mosquitos, which leads to a cleaner healthier living environment!

This doesn’t mean you have to leave every cobweb in the corner of your room, but it is best to avoid spraying lots of harmful pesticides. Many of the beneficial spiders that live in your house or garden, such as jumping spiders, don’t make a web, so you won’t even know that they are there working hard eating all the pests for you.

Should we kill spiders?

There are some species, such as redbacks and funnel webs that are of some concern and should be removed from houses. If you feel you have to kill them, the best way to do this is to catch them in a small container and put them in the freezer, this avoids the use of pesticides.

But keep in mind that the vast majority of spiders are beneficial to humans and can quite happily live alongside us. So only kill all the spiders if you like living with cockroaches and flies.

Why do humans shiver at the thought of spiders crawling over them?

You mean a shiver of wonder and delight? I guess it’s because spiders are so fascinating and can be amazingly beautiful as well. It’s hard to look at photos and videos of species like the peacock spider without falling in love with them.

I think that the main reason people are afraid of spiders is that they aren’t familiar to us. The movements they make with their eight legs is unnatural and because one or two species have a bad reputation, we fear any spider we come across. But there are over 40,000 species of spider, many of which are colourful and harmless. Therefore the solution to the general dislike of spiders is to advertise all the wonderful types of spiders that are out there, something I very much enjoy doing!

Can humans and spiders ever live in harmony?

Definitely. They can, do and should be living in harmony. Urbanisation causes so many disruptions to biodiversity, and it results in outbreaks of particular species (like mosquitos). We need to think less about killing the animals we don’t find appealing and more about restoring the balance within our ecosystems so that we can reduce our uses of pesticides within our homes.